The UK can be a world leader in the new electronic revolution and BT is playing an integral role to enable this.

The telecoms giant told business leaders it was deploying broadband technology in one of the most aggressive roll-out programmes in Europe and the US.

This was the key message delivered by David Baxter, director BT Regions, to an audience of invited guests at a business breakfast meeting at Brighton's Grand Hotel during the Labour Party conference.

He said BT enthusiastically embraced the vision to make the UK the best environment in the world for e-commerce.

"No other major communications company comes anyway close to this ambitious venture to disseminate broadband services across the UK.

"We recognise that this will play a vital part in accelerating the business community and market growth.

"Broadband Britain is a vision of society transformed by the power of Information and Communications Technology and BT is firmly at the heart of this."

One significant part of the broadband portfolio is Assymetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL). This transforms existing copper wires into high-speed digital connections providing an "always on" service for the internet. Mr Baxter said BT had already ADSL-enabled more than 500 exchanges in the UK, including many in the South-East.

This means more than seven million households and one million businesses are now covered with a target to reach nearly 70 per cent of the UK population by the end of 2001.

BT Openworld has also been launched as the company's own internet portal delivering high quality, real time video, interactive channels and movies.

Mr Baxter said: "Yet we are not the only company offering internet access. Many internet service providers are choosing BT's network to connect their customers to the web due to the excellence and sustainability of our network."